Filemaker/Embark -Reply

Kim Brookes (mailto:KIM@RADMAIL.HARVARD.EDU)
Fri, 19 Apr 1996 11:02:09 -0400

Message-Id: <mailto:199604191505.KAA19551@library.wustl.edu>
Date:         Fri, 19 Apr 1996 11:02:09 -0400
From: Kim Brookes <mailto:KIM@RADMAIL.HARVARD.EDU>
Subject:      Filemaker/Embark -Reply
To: Multiple recipients of list IMAGELIB

I've spent hours talking to people at DCI about the structural of my
dream photo database, as well as to people using EmbARK.  It's a
beautiful program.  And very complex.  But at this point I'm thinking
about going back to the relational version of FileMaker, despite its
lack of image virtuousity because customizing EmbARK and convincing
DCI to add the files I need is quite daunting.  I have the demo of
EmbARK and haven't been able to customize to my satisfaction, YET.  I
may still be able to.
   The thing I really want out of EmbARK that I can't get (well, one
of the things), is the following.  We have a separate database (to be
its own table in a relational database) with information about the
people in our photos, including their occupations, organizations they
were active in, and subject headings.  This, in my mind's perfect eye,
will allow us to search the database for photos, for example, of all
of the women lawyers _being_ lawyers, or all of the women lawyers
_regardless_ of what they're doing in the photo.  I can't get EmbARK
to do this.
   The other thing I want to be able to do is have a table of subject
headings.  That table would include 1. the subject heading, 2. where
we got it from (LCSH or AAT), and 3. usage notes.
   And, while I'm at it, I want to be able to have people search the
database by either using pick-lists of subject headings, or by typing
in keywords.
   Maybe someone will write a beautiful add-on to FileMaker to make
it make calls out to image files?
   Any one have any comments or insight on this one?
Thanks,
Kim Brookes
Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe College
mailto:kbrookes@radcliffe.edu

>>> Jennifer Brasher <mailto:J.Brasher@INS.GU.EDU.AU> - 4/18/96 8:30 PM >>>
........I've had a comment sent to me saying EmbARK has been found to be cumbersome and hard to use by people in California. However being an image database, it has the facility to store images at top resolution, which apparently, according to Trudy Levy, Image Integration, cannot happen in the new relational version of Filmaker Pro, which pops the image in the text file database and reduces the image file size as a result. My opionion is that if you're serious about an imaging project you have to store images at maximum resolution, and cannot consider compromise on this level. .....